A fun, festive read from Daisy James with humour, emotion and all the festive feels. If you've read previous books by this author, you're bound to enjoy this one too.

I love a cheesy, Christmas filled book around this time of year and I thought this book would be just that!
She accidentally rants about her dislike of Christmas over a live TV broadcast and has to hide away in her small hometown of Cranbury. Kirstie times it so that her return home to her family pub, The Dancing Duck, is timed perfectly for one final Christmas before the place is sold. There's two potential love interests and it's all very predictable.

This was an average Christmas book in almost every way. It could have been much better had the dialogue flowed properly. At time it was so noticeably stilted that I couldn't read around it, it was just plain annoying. The plot itself had the potential to be good. Food and Christmas so obviously go hand in hand that it's hard to go wrong. It's not a bad Christmas book, it's just not a great one either.

Ok, so please forgive me that Christmas has been and gone and I am just getting round to writing a review of this delightful Christmassy read, but I have to say that this book is still one you can pick up today and thoroughly enjoy. And hey, it's fine if it makes you want to start the Christmas countdown a little whole lot early, there's nothing like a little Christmas spirit.

In 'Christmas at The Dancing Duck', Daisy James transports us to the idyllic Village of Cranbury, home of the aforementioned 'Dancing Duck' and our leading lady, Kirstie Harrison. Kirstie is a TV cookery host in London and all is going rather well in her life, despite the fact that it's Christmas, and after a family tragedy when she was younger, she is not all fond of Christmas. She hates all the flavours, scents and treats this time of year brings with it, but of course, she puts on a brave face for the viewers at home and does her best to swallow the mince pies and savor the smell of mulled wine.

Kirstie is determined to get through her festive show and be a professional, that is until disaster strikes when she doesn't realize her microphone is still rolling and she shares her dislike for Christmas with the world. Management decide Kirstie is not the right girl for the job and so she ends up heading back to Cranbury for the holidays to help her sister with the sale of their childhood home, 'The Dancing Duck'.

The cast of characters in Cranbury made me smile so much. From Kirstie's old flame Josh, to her sister Olivia and her husband, Harry, to Leon and Michel and Emma and Rachel, everyone was kind, caring and just really cool. I loved them all individually and then how they gelled together. In addition, Cranbury simply had this wonderful homey, cozy vibe that I loved. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to travel home with Kirstie and learn about who she was away from the business of London and her TV job. It's heartbreaking to find out her reasons behind hating Christmas, but it's lovely to be on her journey of closure and happiness with her.

The Dancing Duck itself was all that you'd want in a village pub. It always makes me happy the idea of family working together and making their establishment so unique and a staple of the community. The way everyone worked together and cared about the pub was touching, and I often laughed at the descriptions of the decor and bits and pieces that Kirstie's Mum and Dad had collected over the years. Furthermore, I love a good Christmas bake off and fair. It was so much fun to read about the gingerbread contest and wreath making and seeing how all the villagers came together for these festive events. It truly sucked you in and made you feel apart of it too.

I really adored Kirstie and felt for her in her moments of heartbreak and in her moments of turmoil and trying to do the right thing. Her independence was inspiring to me and I loved that she worked her butt off and had followed her dreams with her show. On the other hand, it was nice to see her go home and reconnect with the people that loved her and knew her. Josh was simply lovely and with their history and all they had been through together, my romantic and soppy heart, was rooting for them all the way. Josh really is that gorgeous and I think him and Kirstie made for a great pairing.

A nice holiday soft feeling novel. I liked the plot idea and characters as much that was written, but the missing some zing to keep me interested. A very predictable ending. For the main character Kirstie being involved with a cooking tv show I was disappointed the food was not more detailed. Question to the author, how does one get out of a sale after the papers are signed?

When Kirstie Harrison is caught on camera saying she doesn't like Christmas (during a live Christmas special of Kirstie's Kitchen no less), she retreats back home to Cranbury to keep a low profile. With her parents' pub The Dancing Duck being sold in the New Year, it's a bittersweet experience for Kirstie. Can she learn to love Christmas again thanks to all of Cranbury's festive traditions? And can she avoid her ex, Josh, or is there a new love interest on the horizon?

I enjoyed this book, I read it over Christmas and it was the perfect get away during the busy period. I love reading a book like this over Christmas, it's cosy and festive and really gets me into the spirit of things! The author did a fantastic job of setting the scene, I wanted to be right there in Cranbury, having a cosy drink at the Dancing Duck and going to the Christmas crafting and baking competitions! A heartwarming, light festive read, like a hug in book form.

I liked the story. Unfortunately I found the dialogues to be very stilted.

Fabulously festive feel good story. I loved the opening to this book - it made me laugh and then the story got better. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

It is a story set around a warm village community. I loved the Christmas themed events including craft competition, bake off and party and would love to live in a village where these things actually happen. I enjoyed the highs and lows in the story. The author has a lovely warm writing style which is easy to read. The characters were lovely (apart from Miles) and I enjoyed the romance.

The story left me with a fuzzy warm feeling. Ideal for curling up on the sofa in front of a warm fire with a hot chocolate.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

5☆ The Perfect Cosy Christmas read

Christmas at the Dancing Duck is a beautifully festive read about family, second chances, romance, community spirit, fantastic characters, humour, fun and Frolics and Scrumptious mouth watering delights.
The perfect cosy Christmas Read!!

Also I must mention how festive and fun the Cover is!
I almost feel like I want to jump in and play in that Snow!

Kirstie presents the daily Kirstie's Kitchen for FMTV.
 But she is now live and presenting the Christmas show with Tom her guest Chef!

You see Kirstie dislikes everything about Christmas....and The Food just happens to be one of the things she hates!
So for her Trying to swallow down a St Clements Mince Pie without being sick is a huge challange!

At the end of the show Kirstie starts ranting to Tom, about how much she hates Christmas and then spouts off a long list of food she hates.... Mince Pies, Yule Log, Gingerbread etc....

Unbeknown to Kirstie the Mic was still rolling and her TV Audience heard EVERYTHING!!!
Fans quickly took to Social Media branding her #KirstiesKitchenCalamity the new Christmas Grinch!

Poor Kirstie is devastated!
The TV show has no other option but to remove her from the Christmas Specials.

With no job and nothing to do... she decides to go home to visit her Sister.
Their family home the beloved Dancing Duck Pub in Cranbury.

However when she rings her Sister Olivia, she has had some terrible news and needs to rush off to Ireland to be with her father-in-law.
She asks  Kirstie to look after the pub.

You see The Dancing Duck is about to be sold to Miles, a very sexy, Charming and rich Lawyer!!

Olivia and Harry can no longer afford to keep the pub going and is on the verge of bankruptcy.
The Dancing Duck is the hub of the community. Much to the upset of all the locals.

 Kirstie And Olivia's parents have both died, leaving the pub to the girls.
 Kirstie couldn't face the pub or Christmas hence why she finds Christmas so difficult.
Leaving her Sister behind to pick up the pieces and keep the pub afloat.

So when Olivia tells Kirstie she is in charge of giving the Dancing Duck and the Community the best Christmas send off she is petrified but is determined not to fail!
Kirstie is about to host The Dancing Duck annual Christmas festivities, what could possibly go wrong!!

There is one thing Olivia fails to mention....
Josh, Kirstie's ex is now bar manager and they will have to work together. Despite the bitterness and hurt.
Can they put behind their differences for the sake of The Dancing Duck?

Josh and Kirstie was great together the bitter yet flirty banter between them was lots of fun.
Then there was the charming Miles. Should she pursue fraternizing with the enemy!
The whole time it was will they or wont they & who will capture her heart!

I loved the close community spirit, the way everyone helps. I loved the quirky loveable characters.
The exciting festivities, the cooking contest, crafts competition.
Daisy's writing made me feel like I was a part of the community celebrations. The scrumptious food, the music references, I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

Christmas at the Dancing Duck is full of the festive delights. If you truly want to get into the Christmas Spirit then I strongly advise you picking up this book!!

A Scrumptious read that will leave your tummy rumbling, your heart warm and cosy, plenty of laugh out loud moments, a sprinkle of Romance, a truly delightful read you won't want to miss!!!

After a mistake on live TV, Kirstie retreats back to her childhood home in Hampshire.
It's Christmas, her least favourite time of year. Can she find festive happiness again?

From the very first chapter my heart went out to Kirstie. I was cringing for her when she found out that the conversation she just had about hating Christmas was live on air - it was just her luck! But on the positive side she got to return home and we got to see a much more relaxed Kirstie.



The Dancing Duck was the perfect place for this book to be set, it felt so warm and cosy and had a great atmosphere. When I found out Kirstie and her sister where selling The Dancing Duck it was devastating, I really felt The Dancing Duck held a huge spot in Kirsties heart and I just wanted her to fight to keep it!



I really enjoyed seeing Kirstie reconnect with her ex Josh, he really seemed like a kind and caring person, with a passion for The Dancing Duck and that's what I felt she really needed and deserved, she was like a different happier person around him.



I really feel Christmas at The Dancing Duck really has everything you want in a great festive read and it was so easy to read. I was gutted when the book ended and I really have my fingers crossed that we will hear more from Kirstie in the future and she was a fantastic character, really lovable.

A laugh out loud festive Christmas book. Need a feel good pick me up cozy book to drink with your tea or hot chocolate this is definitely the one. The story opens up with television presenter Kirstie Harrison saying on air how much she hates Christmas. The sound wasn't supposed to be on at the time she said it but it got this food show presenter an extended vacation from work for a bit. Going to visit her sister,her sister's husband and baby nephew seems to be just the magic she needs to clear the tension this fiasco has brought on. The Dancing Duck is her family's pub in the town where her sister lives and she is anxious to see it as well as her sister and her family. Getting the news it is being sold due to lack of funds for months going on now has left her in a panic and a sour feeling in her stomach. This is her childhood home and memories abound. With holiday festivities planned for the Dancing Duck just like every year she decides to carry on the tradition the town's people have come to love and expect. There is one slight problem though Kirstie's family will be detained taking care of an injured family member. Kirstie must prepare and do the annual Dancing Duck festivities without her sister's help. When she meets the buyer of the Dancing Duck her pulse speeds up and the attraction is unmistakable. Her friends try to tell her he's the enemy but she's just not having it. Her old boyfriend wants to rekindle their relationship ,is it possible amongst the holiday preparations? This romantic holiday comedy is so great. One thing after another happens and when all looks doomed, well it just may not be. Curl up and get your cat on your lap you are really going to enjoy this holiday book!
Pub Date 23 Oct 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was brilliant if you want a feel good book to get you in the mood for christmas then this is the book for you.

A really laugh out loud book that is a great read on a cold winter's day I loved it.

I love Christmas books but they tend to be hit or miss for me. Out of the six Christmas books I’ve read so far this year, Christmas at the Dancing Duck was only the second one I actually enjoyed. And I really did enjoy it!

I liked the premise of the book and appreciated how different it was. After an embarrassing mishap on her live cooking show in London, Kirstie returns home to the Dancing Duck pub, where she grew up and where her remaining family still lives. She doesn’t get home often and hasn’t been around while the pub struggled to the point of needing to be sold. I loved the town and its people, all the festivities leading up to Christmas, and how close-knit everyone was. I’d love to live in a place like that and have Kirstie’s family and friends as my own!

It was easy to get invested in Kirstie’s story and the characters; I wanted things to turn out for the best and was rooting everyone on throughout. Christmas at the Dancing Duck was sweet, funny, and heartwarming with great characters. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a chilly weekend and forget about the rest of the world. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms James.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a fantastic feel good read again by this author. Keep them coming

A cosy comfort-read with a solid, well built-up story & almost the right amount of Christmas tinsel to satisfy my festive-standards. :)

There are people who don't like Christmas, or hate it, but at least shudder whenever they think of the season of supposed goodwill-to-all-men. Kirstie Harrison, celebrity TV presenter is one of them.
She keeps these feelings mostly to herself, until she finds she vented her frustration and hatred of the season live, with Christmas practically round the corner.
Not the best moment of her TV career, certainly. To save face, she needs to lie low, so she reluctantly agrees to go home to her village in Wiltshire and spend Christmas with her sister Olivia and her family in the pub called The Dancing Duck. This should be the last Christmas there anyway as Olivia and her husband are bound to sell the place. How bad could it get?
But it gets... well not bad, but painful, as Kirstie has to bite the bullet and work alongside her ex, Josh, to help her sister out and also face some very painful memories. And maybe, just maybe, The Dancing Duck could be saved after all together with Kirstie's heart and her carreer.

The good stuff
- Kirstie herself is a lovely protagonist
- her friends: Rachel and Emma are great
- Leon & Michel, the French chefs of the Dancing Duck
- all the lovely Xmas food/desserts
- the setting: I love the picture postcard village
- the classic close-knit village community trope: very well done
- the atmosphere: heart-warming and satisfies my christmas-craze.

A cosy, romantic story to cuddle up in the warm with. I enjoyed the family love apparent in this story, and totally empathised with the heroine's pain when smelling festive scents as I've been through something similar. Uplifting with a predictably happy ending that left me smiling and relaxed.

This was my first novel to read by Daisy James and I’m delighted to have discovered such a wonderful author.

This book was a delight to read. The characters are wonderful, the setting is lovely, and the story is a perfect mix of humour, warmth, and festive feeling.

You really feel for Kirstie when it goes wrong in her presenting job and she has to take a break. Going home to the Dancing Duck and the wonderful community in the village there, is the ideal solution. But as she gets involved in village life and the pub, you can’t help wishing she could stay there. What follows is an enchanting and captivating story.

Perfect to put you in the festive mood and to put a smile on your face.

4.5 star review of Christmas at the Dancing Duck by Daisy James
Cranbury sounds like a beautiful place to live and I found this story to be full of hope, love and family; of strength and determination and all in all a heart warming Christmas read.
Can the magic of the Christmas season bring together two souls who were driven apart due to circumstance?
The Dancing Duck has been in Kirstie Harrison’s family for over 30 years and for her and her sister they have had to make the painful choice to sell the hotel that their parents loved so much due to lack of finances
All the characters were well written and although the story line was a tad predictable I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the people of Cranbury.
I look forward to reading more from Daisy James,
I received a copy of this book through the publisher via Netgalley.

Now what a great name for a pub the Dancing Duck. Kristie has hated Christmas and it's scents after losing her parents in a tragic car accident. She finds herself back in her home town during Christmas to handle the final holiday events before the pub gets sold off and she will have to come face to face with her grief and the people she pushed away. Will she be able to love Christmas again? Will she be able to sell pub that holds so many memories her parents and is important to the village?

I enjoyed reading this Christmas story. A story about overcoming grief, the importance of family bonds, and learning to live life again instead of hiding from it. Great Christmas book to add to your pile.